


Sleepy Eyes are an Awful Disguise

by starchaser22



Category: DCU, Nightwing (Comics), The Flash (Comics), Titans (Comics), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Birdflash - Freeform, M/M, Other characters mentioned - Freeform, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Titans, dick has bad handwriting, dickwally, or the time stream, or whatever, prompt, wally just came back from the speed force, who needs beta reading anyways
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 06:22:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15309342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starchaser22/pseuds/starchaser22
Summary: Wally really hates his soulmate. Not only is the handwriting nothing above a scribble, but the color is the most generic blue to ever exist. Even without that, there's no way his soulmate could ever be as perfect as Dick.





	Sleepy Eyes are an Awful Disguise

**Author's Note:**

  * For [barrybinary](https://archiveofourown.org/users/barrybinary/gifts).



> aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa happy late birthday to binary! i know we haven't known each other long but im real glad i get to talk to you (almost) everyday and ily (go check out their writing its super good!!!)
> 
> prompt: birdflash soulmate au where one of them has an unreadable signature

Wally really hated his soulmate.

Not only did they have absolutely _horrendous_ handwriting, but they had blue eyes.

The scientist in Wally thinks that blue eyes are actually pretty cool. They’re a genetic mutation having to do with a lack of pigment around the irises. That’s _really cool._ However, there are still different shades of blue. A blue so dark and deep it was only comparable to the vast Pacific Ocean. Another light and icy, reminding Wally of glaciers and soft winter snow.

Wally’s soulmate had the most common shade of blue eyes to _ever_ exist. It’s like, the only thing that would be worse would be those really generic medium brown eyes. It’s the same shade of blue as the generic Crayola crayon; it’s the same shade they use to teach kindergarteners what blue looks like.

Alas, between the ridiculously common shade and the terrible signature, Wally found he did not care much for finding his soulmate. This person is meant to spend the rest of their life with him? Cool, that’s great and all, but Wally has tons of people he loves spending time with. His Aunt Iris and Uncle Barry, to name two. The Flash, of course (well, before he knew that Uncle Barry _is_ the Flash). He also has some friends from school, as well as his pals in the Young Justice League and Titans. Garth, Conner, M’gann, Roy, Kaldur’ahm, and, of course, Dick.

Ah, yes, Dick. Wally’s teammate, partner in crime, partner in _fighting_ crime, and his best friend. He’d been the only one without a connection to the Speed Force to even _remember_ Wally when he had returned. Their friendship stretches back almost as far as they’ve had their masks.

Dick kept Wally balanced. The light to his darkness, the yin to his yang, the peanut butter to his jelly. For as long as there has been Kid Flash, there has been Robin right by his side. Their partnership stretched across the country, relying on Zeta Tubes, superspeed, and various bat-thingys to bring them together.

Wally was quick, zooming in and out of situations faster than the eye can see. He’d sweep the area, find the biggest problem, and cut it off at the source. Dick, however, was the opposite. Sure, he still focused on stopping the threat, but he combed his way through the details. Robin would notice every dent in the wall, ever hair out of place. Wally never understood how anyone could even have the patience for that, but he supposes that’s just why they’re so perfect together.

Really, Dick should be his soulmate.

For all Wally knows, it could say Richard John Grayson on his wrist, but the handwriting is too disastrous to tell. However, the color had given it away. Dick’s eyes were blue, sure, but they were meaningful and intense; vastly calculating the edge of eternity at every twist and new angle. Yet, there was a softness around them; a corner that wasn’t always visible, but showed itself when Wally was around. They may be solid and crumbling to the general populace, but, as far as he was concerned, Dick’s eyes were light and full of heart. They upturned at all of Wally’s stupid jokes, no matter what the verbal response was; they came down and were left unguarded as they battled it out in video games. Wally really wishes the rest of the word was able to see it, because really, they’re the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.

Maybe he gets caught thinking about how wonderful Dick and his eyes are a little _too_ much.

Like now, as they sat in the middle of a Titans meeting.

Nightwing was discussing HIVE and all the various tactics they could use to defeat them. Lilith and Donna were nodding along, but Garth and Roy were still on edge. Ever since Dick’s Spyral implant had been hacked into, they had both been hesitant about following him.

Maybe if it was some stranger, Wally would agree, but this was Dick Grayson, Nightwing, the first Robin, sidekick to Batman. He may still be recoiling from his time spent as Agent 37, but Wally would follow him _anywhere._ He trusted Dick with his life; with all that he is, all that he ever has been, and all he ever will be. Nightwing would never willingly betray anyone, _especially_ the Titans.

Perhaps Wally’s naive or too trusting, but now, looking at Nightwing, all he saw was his lifelong best friend.

He was drug from his own thoughts as Roy asked, “What about you, Flash?” He sounded annoyed; not just his tone of voice, but also with how he said “Flash” instead of Wally’s name. They were just in Titan’s Tower, so there was no real need to worry about secret identities.

Truthfully, Wally hadn’t been paying attention, but as he said, he would blindly follow his best friend anywhere. “I agree with Dick.”

“Of course you do,” Donna grinned, just a little teasing. Wally childishly stuck his tongue out at her, but said nothing.

With a few more words on the subject, the team split, everyone going their separate directions. Wally just laid back on the couch. Normally, he would be itching for a run, but Kaldur had asked for his help earlier, so he had been running on top of the Atlantic for a few straight hours. If he slowed down or stopped, he would fall in and have to swim back to shore, so… now he’s tired.

His eyes drooped, head falling down to face his lap. It wasn’t even dinner time yet! Dinner is the best meal (besides breakfast and lunch), how could he miss it? That’s right, he can’t. He’s got to stay awake. Maybe go stand under a searing hot shower, or run around the globe a few times.

“You okay, Wally?” Dick’s charming voice interrupted his daze. His eyes opened, shooting from his lap up to those expansionless blue eyes. He was still in his Nightwing costume, but the mask was off, held between his long, black-gloved fingers.

“Just tired,” He smiled. As opposed to everyone else’s current state of uniform, Wally was only wearing a tee shirt and pair of loose sweats. He’d had a long day, okay?

“The great Wally West, tired?” His voice sounded sarcastic, but Dick actually looked shocked. To his credit, Wally was never tired; not for more than a few minutes, anyways. His metabolism and quick healing took care of it.

“Yeah, well, guess you just take my breath away,” He teased, reveling in the warmth of Dick’s laughter. It made Wally laugh, too.

“So, you up for dinner, then?”

The entire thing was very casual. Not a date, no matter how much Wally wished it were. The two of them went out for dinner very often, usually to one of those buffet or all-you-can-eat places.

Wally was going to agree, but before he got the chance, his mouth opened of it’s own accord, releasing a huge, long yawn that made his ears pop. Dick chuckled, “Guess you’re too tired?”

“I’m not tired!” He protested, standing up but swaying a little from exauhstion. Okay, he is tired, but Dick doesn’t need to know that. They could just go on with their normal routine.

“I don’t know, Walls,” Dick put one hand on each arm, steading him. “Can you even stand?”

“Of course I can, I’m standing right now.” He really should not have said that. As if it were a challenge, Dick let go, lightly pushing him backwards. He hadn’t even pushed that hard, but Wally was overcome with the inertia and sheer exhaustion, but falling back onto the couch cushions.

Dick crossed his arms across his chest, narrow blue stripes twisting around each other. “Yeah, that’s one I thought.” In one, smooth motion, he bent down, wrapped his arms around Wally’s torso, and lifted him onto his shoulder.

“Hey, wait!” Wally protested, childishly hitting the back of the sleek, black Nightwing uniform. If he really wanted to escape, he could. Either by vibrating out of the hold, or by moving before he noticed. But, no. Wally was kind of curious about where Dick was taking him. Still, he yelled, “Put me down!”

Dick’s low chuckle was a rumble throughout his body, shaking against Wally’s abdomen. “No can do.”

Wherever they were going, Wally couldn’t tell. All he could see was the floor and a very, _very_ nice silhouette of Nightwing’s ass.

Eventually, his gaze shifted from the floor, to the wall, to a broken ceiling fan (don’t ask), and then to Dick. Wally’s body, limp with exhaustion, was dropped onto a bed. No, not just a bed, _Dick’s_ bed. Logically, it made sense. The keys to their rooms were all fingerprint sensors, so there was no way for them to get into Wally’s room unless he willingly put his finger on it. And he didn’t.

“Rest,” Dick commanded, an air of stern finality surrounding the words and leaving behind a crisp echo.

He leaned back, Wally’s direct view once again the broken fan, which he was _not_ happy with. Blindly, he reached out to grab the other man’s wrist and tell him to _stay,_ but was interrupted by the blinding jolt send through his fingers and up his arm. It felt a little like static electricity - with the quick and unexpected current surging into his blood - but two thousand times stronger. “Dick, what-”

Wally rolled over, stopping when he saw the shock on his friend; wide eyes, rigid muscles, high eyebrows, parted lips.

Then Wally looked at his hand, still wrapped around Dick’s wrist, and he finally understood.

The fingerprint scanners don’t work through gloves, so he couldn’t wear the Nightwing gloves when getting in the room. Dick’s fingers and a bit of his wrist were exposed, warm beneath Wally’s touch.

The thing with soulmarks is, normally, people cover them up. Whether that be with a bracelet, a tattoo, or just long sleeves. In this case, Nightwing’s gloves had stretched high enough to cover the mark.

The _green_ mark.

His hand retreated, Dick still in shock.

_It was Wally’s name._

He looked up at his friend, seeing his own expression mirrored before him. Lips parted, eyes wide, arms limp at their sides.

“Dick?” His voice was small, barely audible over the roaring silence between them.

Blue eyes looked down at him, and for the first time, Wally saw the similarity. He had always looked at his wrist with a sense of bitterness, unable to read the name those eyes belonged to. Reaching down, he unclasped the thick, silver band, dropping it to the floor.

Wally stared at his mark.

Dick stared at Wally.

“For the longest-” Dick paused, swallowed, and reached to lay the tips of his fingers on Wally’s wrist. The touch was weightless, a feather against the growing heaviness of his soulmark. He tried again, “For the longest time, I didn’t have a soulmate.”

Wally looked up, eyes meeting those of his best friend. How had he not seen it before? They were the exact same color; they were the most beautiful shade in the world.

“I mean, I guess I did, there was just no mark there.” Dick began pacing back and forth, watching his feet as he talked. Wally couldn’t help but follow side to side as he maintained the brisk walk. It was so unlike him; Dick was always the model of cool, calm, and collected. Sure, he had his moments, but nothing like this. “There probably was, but then you got erased from the timestream, or something. God, it’s all so _confusing.”_

It was confusing, but Wally understood. Dick remembered a timeline where he had no soulmate, where his wrist was bare, and then, one day, Wally returns from the Speed Force and Dick suddenly has a soulmark. Wally would have been confused, too.

“Hey, it’s okay.” He slid off the bed, hyper aware of how anxious his friend must be. He took Dick’s wrists, holding them between his fingers, forcing him to stop pacing. “I’m here now. You don’t have to worry. We will figure this out together.”

Dick looked at the space between them. Wally’s thumb brushed over the green words, Dick moving his hand up to do the same. They both felt a jolt of electricity surge through them, temporarily numbing the names.

“I guess that’s how it’s always been, hasn’t it?” Dick smiled, and Wally matched it. They locked eyes: unique green with the blue that Wally’s always known. “The two of us, together.”

It’s true. Every since they were kids, it’s always been them. Kid Flash and Robin, Nightwing and Flash, Wally and Dick. They stayed side by side through everything, and even if Dick didn’t remember it all, he knew it. Their bond wasn’t something that could be broken, no matter what cosmic occurrence was underway.

“Yeah, we will figure it out,” He agreed, reaching out and bringing Dick closer to him. He hooked his arms around his torso and pulled them together, wrapping them in a comfortable embrace. Dick returned it, hands splayed across Wally’s back as his own rubbed in circles. “But you should really take handwriting lessons.”

Dick laughed, shaking against Wally’s chest. “You saying you couldn’t read my name?”

“Yes, that is exactly what I am saying.” Pulling back, Wally dramatically pointed to the scribble permanently left there. “Look at this! How can you even read it?”

Rolling his eyes, Dick took Wally’s hand in his own and held it between them. He traced his free fingers over the mark, pointing at the first letter. “See? That’s an ‘R.’”

“That is definitely _not_ an ‘R,’” Wally protested, talking between his own laughter. It really looked like a ‘Q’, if anything, and barely even that. “Is this even English?”

Dick shook his head, smiling all the same. “Well English isn’t even my first language, dork.” He brought the mark up further, hesitating before gently leaning down and leaving his lips gently over the blue skin.

Wally’s heart was in his throat, face bright red. “What was that for?”

His friend, his _soulmate,_ smiled back at him, but avoided the question. “Were we soulmates before?”

He didn’t have to clarify, Wally knew what he meant. Before he was trapped in the Speed Force. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve always had this chicken scratch on my arm.”

They both laughed, and it was as if the sun wasn’t even shining, everything far too dull compared to the crinkle around his soulmate’s glacier blue eyes.

 

**Author's Note:**

> thats all folks  
> i wrote this on a cruise ship. because im in alaska. its great and i love it here but im going a long while without wifi and/or data so if anyone has any writing suggestions hmu


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